Apple will delay the release of the iPadOS 16 software update for iPad until October, about a month after the September release of iOS 16 for iPhone. The news appeared in a Bloomberg report, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Typically, Apple releases iPadOS, which is closely related to iOS, very close to or shortly after the launch of iOS, which comes out in September along with new flagship iPhone models. This has happened a little late in the past, but that would have been an unusually large release gap.
The iPadOS beta period this year has been relatively rocky, with a later release date and some public criticism from developers. One criticism is that Stage Manager is not available on all but the latest iPad models, but bugs and ease of use have also been discussed.
In addition to giving Apple more time to fix bugs or make more significant changes, the release date change will allow the company to focus more on iPhone software in the near future, whose beta testing period is also behind schedule.
Bloomberg also reports that an October release date for iPadOS 16 would mean the software update will roll out around the same time that Apple introduces new iPad hardware that will use it, specifically the iPad Pro with the M2 chip and a cheaper entry level.. An iPad that replaces the proprietary Lightning port with an industry-standard USB port is something that has already happened to the rest of the iPad lineup.
In addition, you can see that Stage Manager appears at about the same time on Mac and iPad systems, and not on iPad, since macOS updates usually come out in October, not September.
Latency can also cause headaches for third party app developers and their users, especially those working on universal apps. For example, the iPadOS 16 delay may cause some features to be delayed for iPhone apps that use iOS 16 features, depending on how developers have implemented them in their efforts to support both platforms.
The report notes that, as always, Apple’s plans are subject to change as product and software releases approach this fall.